The newly elected and reelected Lawrence school board members took their oaths on Monday to serve Lawrence Public Schools.
Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew swore in elected newcomer Matt Lancaster and reelected incumbents Shannon Kimball and Kelly Jones to sit on the board through January 2030.
Kimball and Jones received the most votes in the November 2025 election in which three seats on the board were open. In a tight race for third place, Lancaster ultimately received around 70 more votes than incumbent Bob Byers.
However, following the election, the board voted to appoint the fourth place candidate to fill a vacancy left by former member Anne Costello, who resigned in October.
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In a 6-0 vote on Monday, the board unanimously approved the reappointment of Byers to fill the remainder of Costello’s term, which runs through January 2028.
Shew also swore in Byers on Monday, and the board voted unanimously again to keep Byers as vice president until the board elects its new VP and president in July. GR Gordon-Ross is the current board president. Byers recused himself from the vote Monday.
Byers previously served on the school board from 2009-2013, then by appointment from 2014 to 2015. He applied to serve on the board again in June 2023 after former board member Kay Emerson stepped down. Monday was the final day of his previous appointed term.
School board positions are unpaid and nonpartisan.
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Maya Hodison (she/her), equity reporter, can be reached at mhodison@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
